We learnt French the hard way
It has been an uphill struggle, but worth it
Much to the dismay of those who abhor British people coming to France with no French, my husband and I moved here eight years ago unable to speak it.
I spoke none at all, as I had never learnt it at school; my husband spoke little more than me.
It has been an uphill struggle, but worth it: only last week our very old French neighbour paid me the greatest compliment I will ever have: “Your French is getting better.”
We can now have a reasonable conversation. She speaks with a very strong accent, very different from Parisian French.
Living in the country and having two lessons a week, the play between the Parisian French we are taught and the strong, local Occitan accent has made it quite difficult.
To the sceptics who believe that those of us who have to learn from the start should not move over here, I would like to say that, in a way, they miss out on the huge success one feels when the achievement is recognised and French friends acknowledge one’s efforts.
We will have two lessons a week probably until the day we die but it keeps us young (we are both in our seventies). So be of good heart, fellow Brits. French is a difficult language, but it is worth the effort.
Patricia Hipple, Midi-Pyrénées
